LinkedIn Summary Examples for Job Seekers

Are you looking for a way to make your LinkedIn profile stand out to recruiters?

LinkedIn is a great place to find new jobs, and having a strong profile can open doors. However, with so many LinkedIn profiles to go through, it is important to make sure your profile is eye-catching.

One of the best ways to do this is by creating an impactful summary for your profile. The summary sits at the top of your profile underneath your photo and is designed to grab attention.

To make sure your summary is as strong as possible, check out the following LinkedIn Summary Examples for Job Seekers.

Why is the LinkedIn Summary Important?

Your LinkedIn summary is one of the first things that recruiters see, and leaving it blank is a big mistake. If your summary has not been completed, it is a good indication that your profile is not ready to be viewed. This means that many recruiters and other visitors to your page are likely to skip your profile altogether.

Creating a Lasting First Impression

When most people visit your profile, they will see the first three hundred characters of your summary. If the summary grabs their attention, they can click on ‘Read More’ to view the rest of your profile. The first few lines of your profile will help recruiters to decide if they want to read the rest.

This means that you have just three hundred characters to win people over. You should treat this initial section as an incentive. Make sure the viewable portion ends on a highlight that is interesting enough to make visitors click on ‘Read More.’

A Personalized Greeting

One of the things that set LinkedIn apart from most social network platforms is that it is designed for professionals. However, most users interpret this to mean that all content should be formal and professional in tone. This can lead to some rather dull and dry user profiles.

Giving your profile a personalized touch will help it to stand out and seem engaging. It is possible to acknowledge the reader in your summary and even engage them directly. A personalized greeting will make it more difficult for recruiters to ignore your profile.

Your Summary Appears in LinkedIn Search Results

The content of your summary helps recruiters to find your profile when they perform a search. There are certain things that you can include in your summary to make it more prominent in searches. This includes industry keywords, job titles, and certain skills and attributes.

How To Choose What You Want To Say?

Every word counts in your LinkedIn summary, and it is important to choose those words carefully. However, trying to figure out which elements you want to present to the world can be tricky. Here are some tips on what to say when crafting your summary.

Describe your passion

Writing about an aspect of your job that you are passionate about will help your profile to be more engaging. Try to mention at least one part of your job that you look forward to and does not feel like work. This will help recruiters to understand who you are and why you do what you do.

Explain your current role

Rather than simply hiding behind a job title, provide a simple description of what you do. Use dynamic words that paint a picture and help the reader to imagine you in action. Share the problems you face in the course of your work and the steps you take to solve them.

Outline your job history

Your summary is your opportunity to highlight the areas of your employment history that are particularly important. This helps to make sure that they are not buried in a chronological employment history. You also have the chance to rewrite history a little and put a positive spin on potentially negative aspects.

Highlight your achievements

Make sure you include the most important and impactful aspect of your experience section. You can combine different accomplishments from various roles to make them particularly strong and effective. This is a good idea if you have a lot of work experience and want to make sure an element is not skipped over.

Show your personality

Select words and stories that show the reader who you are as a person rather than just as a professional. Good personality traits to hint at include humor, humility, gratitude, and compassion. You should also select one key trait that you are particularly known for and weave it into your summary.

Include relevant personal activities

Relating your outside passions to your professional life allows you to present yourself as a well-rounded person. You can do this by sharing details of a volunteer experience, personal interest, or hobby. If possible, reveal certain skills that this experience provides that also reinforce your professional life.

Add rich media

They say that a picture speaks a thousand words, and adding an image or video can help to enrich your summary. You may have a particular photo or short video that shows you in action. Rather than using hundreds of words to try and get your message across, rich media can do the work for you.

Choosing The Way You Say It

Now you have worked out what you want to say; it is time to work a little on the style. Creating the right tone can go a long way to making your summary appealing. Here are some tips on how to get the tone just right so that your summary makes an impact.

Make the first sentence count

While your whole summary matters, the first few words you write are especially important. It is essential to engage readers straight away so that they do not lose interest and move on. Spending time crafting an interesting and eye-catching first sentence that will make your summary irresistible.

Include lots of keywords

The more keywords you include, the more visible your profile will be during searches on Google and LinkedIn. Job descriptions are perfect for packing in the keywords that people are likely to search for. Another good way to do this is by adding a list of your specialties at the end of your summary.

Avoid using jargon

Many buzzwords in the business world have been overused so that they sound like clichés. Rather than making your profile sound strong and interesting, these buzzwords can make your profile seem vague or even fake. Rather than sticking to common clichés, try to find some synonyms that will spice things up a little.

Choose a natural tone

Your resume and cover letter are professional documents, and it is best to stick to formal language. However, being too formal in your LinkedIn profile is likely to be a little off-putting. It is better to write in a natural way close to how you speak to engage the reader.

Let your summary tell a story

Personal stories help to make sure that your LinkedIn summary is unique and will make it more memorable. The stories you choose should be brief and to the point and include a special skill or attribute. They can reveal the lengths you took to gain the skill or an explanation of how you use it at work.

Leave white spaces

The words of your summary should flow easily so that they are easy to read quickly. If the text is too densely packed, it is likely to look intimidating to readers. Break up the text with bullet points, numbers, and icons to provide natural spaces for the reader to breathe.

Ask for what you want

Take the time to work out exactly what you want the reader to do after they have finished reading your summary. You may simply want to connect with other professionals in your field or be searching for your dream job. Whatever you are looking for, make it clear and include an invitation to connect at the end of your summary.

Different Types of Summaries

By now, you probably have a good idea of what you want to include in your LinkedIn summary. However, it is important to understand that there are different summary styles, and each one has a different impact. Here are the main types of summary styles that you can choose depending on your specific needs.

The Personality Summary

This type of summary is ideal for people who have little or no work experience. Many recruiters search for entry-level candidates to fulfill a wide range of different roles. While work experience may not be essential, the recruiter needs to know that the person will fit the company culture.

This type of summary is also ideal if you are hoping to make professional connections. Rather than giving people a hard sell, it invites them into your world. People who are reading your summary are likely to feel like they know you and are more likely to connect.

The Mission-Based Summary

The mission-based summary is ideal if you specialize in different fields and what to highlight them all. It allows you to appeal to and engage with a wide range of different people. This type of summary should open with a broad description of what you do before becoming gradually more specific.

Rather than choosing jargon and terms that may confuse readers, explain the terms in your own words. This will help your summary to be more engaging and easier to understand. It helps to paint a vibrant picture and shows that you are much more than your job title.

The Short and Simple Summary

The short and simple summary is a good choice if you are a professional who works in a conservative or technical industry. You can use this summary style to present how long you have been in your career and your specialization. You can also present your qualifications clearly and simply without embellishing.

Certain professionals, such as lawyers, rely heavily on their credibility. Therefore, choosing a summary style that is too personality-driven could undermine this to some extent. This type of summary is keyword-rich, making it more likely to show up in searches.

Choose your words carefully…

Because there is less information in this summary style, you need to choose your words carefully. The short and simple summary should include your current role and notable previous positions. You should also include your main work-related skills as well as key achievements.

The Blended Summary

This type of summary is a mixture of the mission-based and personality-driven summary styles. It allows you to get straight to the facts without being too dull or dry. It is ideal for professionals who work in a creative industry and allows you to engage with the reader.

It is best to start with your current job and include a few highlights or accomplishments. You can then include a few facts that provide an insight into your personality. Make sure you do not reveal anything too personal that is completely unrelated to work. Ultimately, your goal for this type of summary is to make it a balance of professional, light, and fun.

The Accomplishments Summary

This style of summary allows you to boast a little and show recruiters what makes you truly special. It is a good idea to choose this type of summary if you have a lot of professional achievements and accomplishments. If possible, you should start with a brief overview of your accomplishments and then list them numerically.

You can also use this type of summary to list all of your key skills. This will help your profile to be more visible when recruiters are performing a keyword search. A long list of skills will make you sound impressive and show that you have a lot of value.

Hard and soft skills…

The skills you include should be a mixture of hard and soft skills. Soft skills could be excellent customer service, leadership, multitasking, and attention to detail. Hard skills could include the programs you are fluent in, such as Photoshop, HTML, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Need More Linkedin Info And Advice?

Well, firstly, you’ll want to read our Best Linkedin Profile Tips and Best Linkedin Recommendation Examples to get you started.

We’ve also found some online guides to make your profile shine with the Ignite Your LinkedIn Profile, LinkedIn Riches: How To Use LinkedIn For Business, Sales and Marketing!, LinkedIn For Dummies, LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies, and How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile… And 18 Mistakes to Avoid, available in 2023.

Lastly, to make your resume stand out from the crowd, check out our finds such as CVs, Resumes, and LinkedIn: A Guide to Professional English, Marketing Yourself in the Age of Digital: CVs, Applications, Interviews, Social Media, LinkedIn, Land Your Dream Job: Join the 2% Who Make it Past Resumé Screening, as well as English for Academic CVs, Resumes, and Online Profiles all available online today.

Final Thoughts

Research has shown that recruiters are up to fourteen times more likely to read a profile that has a strong summary.

Therefore, it is worth spending time creating a strong summary that will really pack a punch. This can help you save a lot of time and trouble searching for jobs in the long run. If your LinkedIn summary is appealing enough, you can sit back and allow recruiters to come to you.

You may be surprised by the amount and type of job offers that you receive. Of course, it is also important to work on the other areas of your LinkedIn profile so that it truly shines.

All the very best setting up your Linkedin Profile!